Postcard from Julia

I dropped by my mailbox today and found myself very, very pleasantly surprised. Among the mails was Julia's promised postcard from her vacation in Florida! I couldn't stop smiling a happy smile and grinning a grateful grin. In short, Jewels, your card made my day.

Gosh, it's been so long since I last got one. With the internet now, postcards by post are a scarcity. Thanks much, Jewels. So thoughtful of you. =)

Saturday Morning

The smell of good coffee, a bowl of cereal I actually like, the feel of a damp morning (rain in summer!), the chance to surf the web, the inspiration from reading Jewel's entries and being led to this amazing photostream, and finally finding this:

is such bliss. ;)

GG Post

I just love, love, love (!) this:

The Taylor Chronicles: Winner

I am glad that Taylor won "Album of the Year" at the 2009 ACM Awards.

There are so many reasons why Fearless is THE album of the year for me personally (well, so far and more likely even up to December). I am tempted to name each reason but I think each deserves a distinct post. Let this one be for "experience".

Fearless is a collection of songs that grows on you. It makes you learn to love it, at your own pace. At least that's how the journey was with me.

I started with the first track and album title "Fearless". I couldn't get it off my head. And I especially like the line "you take my hand and drag me headfirst" . I just can't believe Taylor thought of that. Headfirst. What a scene it creates in my head (like the guy pulling her hair?). =)

Soon enough, I began to really like the rest of the songs except "Hey, Stephen", "Breathe" and "Tell Me Why". "Except" Hey Stephen because after a few plays, it became my number one fave in the entire album (so it's more than just "really like"). The beat is just so swayable. It remains to this day as my ringtone.

"Breathe" was second to my least liked track at the beginning. But I can't remember now why I did not like it. "Tell Me Why" was the last one I learned to love but once I did, it sealed my affection for the entire album.

Unlike other albums that just seem to want to feature a couple of hits and let the other tracks be forgettable, Fearless is a winner because each song is meant to be a delight. All of Fearless' songs are lovable, in the 'verb' sense of the word. You will learn to love them, probably not all at once, but as the experience with the album continues, each song kinda takes its moment with you.

Susan Boyle and Other Coffeetable Talk

The temperature has become too hot, it drove me off the house and into this cafe. And of course, what is cooling off without the traditional invasion of the most out-of-sight corner and surfing the net without caring how long? =)

Gist. I was talking to a friend last night and I think I never really got a grip of my true circumstances until she blew these words: Doj, you are in deep shit. The last two words are not part of my everyday vocabulary and the slang is evidence of her residence abroad. But more than the fascination with the sentence itself, I am fascinated at how well she figured out what I was talking about. Vals, you smart **ss. ;) (I meant "LAss". Whatever were you thinking? I don't speak adult words, goddamnit.)

Expletives. I have lately been in awe about how people so easily use expletives. In particular, I refer to expletives that are not in my original language. I am in awe because lately, when I tried using them, they did not seem fit. They were just words, not cuss ones. Even if I said them, there was no malice. Just practice of the use of the words in a sentence. Hehe. I am rambling, I know. Darn.

Susan. I'm not really extremely impressed about her singing itself. I think it's the combination of her circumstances and her singing that make her performance stellar at Britain's Got Talent (hello, Simon). She's 47, unemployed, never been married, never been kissed and looks more like a stage mom than star material. But her attitude is admirable, her talent great and her guts amazing (courage!). I wish I could directly put the video here but embedding is a prob. So, here's the link instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXX_gMFeWlc.

I know you can't wait to see it. ;)

View from the Top

In a country of more than 7,000 islands, the scenic piece in the above photo which I took from my window seat on my flight home last Thursday should no longer be that much of a wonder. But for one who would usually take the earliest or latest flights (that is, either the sun is not yet up or no longer there), this view was an awesome one. Glad to have taken a snapshot of it.

And oh, happy easter everyone! =)

Glacial

The term "glacial" came into my consciousness courtesy of Meryl Streep's line in "The Devil Wear's Prada". It was what she used to ironically describe how slow Anne Hathaway's character was moving in one scene.

Now, as I sit at the airport waiting for my flight home, I am reminded of the word again. My laptop simply was booting at a glacial pace, long enough to run for about 30 minutes (with one reboot). If I were at home, I may not mind as much as I do now but hey, this is a dang public place and I unfortunately am seated at the front row and anyone who happens to notice would know that my laptop has become Jurassic. Argh.

That stressful event aside, I am so looking forward to going home.